CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2024 race for North Carolina's Commissioner of Labor sees two newcomers face off for a key state office, one that oversees the workforce in the Tar Heel State.
Braxton Winston
Democratic candidate Braxton Winston was previously an at-large member and mayor pro team in the Charlotte City Council.
Winston spoke with WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson during Flashpoint about his focus on making North Carolina a better state for all workers.
“The labor commissioner's number-one job is to ensure that every worker goes home alive and safe at the end of the workday,” he said. “It also is there to make sure that everybody is getting all the money and all the wages that they earn.”
Winston said he believes he can cross party lines to advocate on behalf of workers.
“What is partisan about expecting to come home with a fair day's pay after a fair day's work, or being able to get a drink of water, or use the bathroom, or protect yourself from the hot sun?” he said.
Winston is a staunch supporter of labor unions.
“There's nothing more American than the idea and function of a labor union,” he said. “Unions are organizations of workers that come together to organize themselves. So I think it's the job of the labor commissioner, whether or not workers are part of unions, to stand with those workers.”
Outside of politics, he is a union stagehand and grip working in sports television and entertainment production. He also is involved in several Charlotte-area boards and committees.
Luke Farley
Republican candidate Luke Farley is an attorney from Raleigh who specializes in workplace safety with more than 14 years of experience. He grew up in Onslow County. He's earned endorsements from previous labor commissioner Cherie Berry and current commissioner Josh Dobson, who opted not to run in 2024. Both Berry and Dobson are Republicans.
Farley shares a similar focus to Winston, emphasizing the importance of workers feeling comfortable in their jobs when speaking to WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson.
“The number one job of the North Carolina labor commissioner is to keep our working men and women safe and healthy, to make sure everybody goes home at the end of the workday,” he said. “For me, it doesn't end there. I want every worker to have a fantastic job to go to the next day.”
Farley contends that stimulating a competitive job environment is key to worker safety.
“I believe the very best way to improve conditions for workers in this state is to create a hot job market,” he said. “I'd ask anybody to think about the times in your own working life when you were best able to negotiate with your employer for a higher salary, better benefits, or better leave time. That was when you had a hot job market.”
Farley believes the current laws regarding unions are appropriate.
“I think where we are with unions is exactly where we need to be,” he said. “Workers have a right to join and form a union if they want to. They also have the right not to join a union if they don't want to.”
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